In Between Days
by Madame Padfoot
Summary: Sequel to Love, Life & Quidditch Find out more about Lily, James and their friends as they leave school and head towards that final Halloween at Godrics Hollow UPDATED(24.10.04)
1. Making Plans

***  IN BETWEEN DAYS**  *****

Madame Padfoot 

  
* Making plans *  
  


  
Waiting for Aggy to return from the ministry where she had started auror training, Lily couldn't believe that it had been a month since graduation. A month since James had proposed to her down by the lake and a month since they had caught the Hogwart's express for the last time.  
  
Turning back from gazing out of the window Lily surveyed the flat that she and Aggy now called home. It had all been thanks to Professor McGonagall that they had had somewhere to live after leaving school. It wasn't much but it was all theirs and she was just grateful that she hadn't had to go crawling back to Petunia. Lily knew that wouldn't have been pleasant, especially after the last meeting between them when she had gone to collect the remainder of her things from her parents old home.  
  
With her thoughts focused on her family Lily smiled as she caught sight of the large wooden framed mirror over the dusty brick fireplace. Lily smiled to her self at the memory of Rowan's brief visit and the look on James' face when he had come bounding into the flat only to come face to face with the full compliment of Rowan and friends. The self-imposed protectors of her honour had made it their mission to furnish the quaint little flat that was situated on the far edge of Diagon Alley.  
  
It was the perfect place for them both, Aggy and Lily could walk to the ministry and now they had been put on the floo network Lily no longer had to head over to the Leaky Cauldron to go training. As her thoughts fell onto the subject of training Lily panicked slightly and remembered why she was waiting for Aggy to come home. Jonesy in his wisdom as the manager of Puddlemere United had that afternoon after training decided it was time move her up to the first team. She had only six weeks left until she would have to play in her first professional game as a chaser and she was terrified.  
  
The click of the front door brought Lily's eyes back into focus and she turned to greet her friend.  
  
"Lily I'm home, honey," came the shout from the entrance hall as Aggy closed the front door.  
  
Rolling her eyes Lily groaned but smirked at her best friend as she walked into the small cosy sitting room.  
  
Watching Aggy laugh Lily said, "What's got you so happy today?"  
  
Flopping down onto the old comfy sofa Aggy chuckled as she said, "We got assigned partners today."  
  
"And?" Lily asked.  
  
"It's like being back at Hogwart's, I got assigned Danny and Sirius got Patrick Boot!" Aggy said with a roguish smile spreading across her face.  
  
Lily couldn't help her self and laughed at the thought of Patrick and Sirius together, the Ministry really didn't know what they had let themselves in for with that pair.  
  
Together the two girls made a pot of tea and then settled down in the sitting room to tell each other all about their respective days.  
  
Life had fallen into an easy pattern for the two young witches. Both had been given the opportunity to follow their dreams after School had finished. Aggy had been accepted into the auror training academy along with Danny and Sirius. Lily was now a fully-fledged member of Puddlemere united to the great joy of all her male friends who were now guaranteed tickets to every game but she had also been offered a job with the Ministry to work in the experimental charms department with Janice Flitwick. At first Lily had been demented at the thought of not being able to take the post due to her Quidditch commitments but Professor Flitwick's sister had worked her schedule around her training sessions and games.  
  
With the tea pot drained of it's contents the girls quickly got themselves moving as tonight was to be wedding planning night. Marie and Annie were coming over and together the infamous four were going to sort out wedding plans. So far they had two weddings to organise, Annie and Danny were to be the first as they had chosen to elope at Halloween mostly due to Danny becoming an auror and the fact that they knew that both sets of parents would never agree to them getting married straight out of school. Following them would be Lily and James at Christmas.   
  
It was now the beginning of August and tonight they were going to bring together the research each girl had been conducting on the ins and outs of getting married. Marie's job had been to find out about the little chapel in Hogsmeade. Having easy access to the Ministry Aggy and Lily were charged with finding out about the legal requirements to getting married. Annie on the other hand was heading up the wardrobe department, mostly due to the fact that she now worked for Madame Malkin.  
  
Lily was surprised by the similarities between Wizard and Muggle weddings. Marie had found out from the old Priest that they needed to give him four weeks notice and had to have a minimum of two witnesses. Lily and Aggy had discovered that they could get a Ministry official to attend the wedding or they could take the documents and lodge them at the Ministry the following day. Madame Malkin had agreed with Annie that as long as she worked on the robes she could have them at cost.  
  
With everything discussed it was time to commit the plans for Annie and Danny's wedding to parchment first. Marie and Aggy sat at the old drop leafed table and worked out the schedule of events. Annie and Lily worked on the design and colours of robes. They may be eloping but Annie wanted to be married in traditional wedding robes, having been a bridesmaid at her brothers friends weddings Lily was able to give Annie some pointers.  
  
Satisfied that they had everything was now under control with the Halloween wedding plans all attention was turned to Lily.   
  
Smiling at her friends Lily said, "It's been set James and I are getting married on Christmas eve." Lily paused before saying, "At Hogwarts."  
  
"When was this organized?" Marie asked a little stunned.  
  
"I only found out yesterday, James had suggested it and when he went back to Hogwarts he went to see Professor Dumbledore," Lily explained. "James said that the Professor almost whooped with joy and thought it was a great idea. It seems we are going to be married in the great hall by Professor Dumbledore himself."  
  
Frowning Marie asked, "Can he do that?"  
  
At this Lily just shrugged and said, "It was his suggestion, so I guess it must be ok."  
  
After a moment of stunned silence the small sitting room was filled with shouts and screeches of joy as four teenage girls jumped up and down hugging each other at the prospect of a second wedding and at Hogwarts to boot.  
  
Soon another set of parchments was filled with notes and plans. Colours organized, outfits designed and decorations planned.  
  
Anybody looking through the sitting room window that night would have seen on first glance four overly excited teenagers but only on closer examination would they have noted the pain being masked on one of the girl's faces.   
  
* ~ *~~* ~ *  
  
On the other side of London in what could be termed a bachelor pad at best, a pit of squalor at worst sat six young men drinking butterbeer and chatting happily. Unlike their female counterparts weddings only made up about 10 percent of their evening. No fuss or major planning involved, just reminders of promises made on days gone by. For Danny it was a case of making sure that Patrick Boot his fellow Ravenclaw would fulfil the promise they had made the day after the graduation ball.  
  
Not long after James and Remus had arrived at the old house that Sirius, Danny, Patrick and Peter shared, James had taken Sirius to one side. Up in Sirius's bedroom James had filled him in on the conversation that he had with Professor Dumbledore about marrying Lily at Hogwarts. Sirius simply nodded at the silent request and in the private of the messy front bedroom the boys embraced as brothers sealing a pact made on the Quidditch pitch the day they had left Hogwarts weeks earlier.  
  
* ~ * ~~ * ~ *  
As the night wore on in each home decisions were made to go to bed. Over at the girls flat extra beds were transfigured in Lily's bedroom and the girls re-created their old Hogwarts dorm room. Where as over at the boys' house Remus and James accepted a set of blankets and got comfy on the squishy sofas in the warm dark sitting room.  
  
Tomorrow they were all meeting up and heading over to the Ministry for their apparition test.  
  
* ~ * ~~ * ~ *  
By ten o'clock the next morning eight newly graduated Hogwarts students had assembled in front of the Ministry building. After much hugging and kissing the early morning greetings were over.  
  
Looking around Lily and noticed that Peter was missing. "James, were is Peter. I thought he was going to do his test today?" Lily asked.  
  
But it was Sirius who answered with a roll of his eyes. "He said he didn't fell too well this morning and didn't fell up to it."  
  
After a "what a surprise" from Annie, the small group moved up the steps and through the front doors of the old building. Once inside the Lily and Aggy came face to face with Betty Madely, one of the witches they had met the summer before who worked the desk at wizard services.  
  
"Hi Betty," Lily said.   
  
"Hello girls and what can we do for you young ones today?" she asked.  
  
Smiling at her Aggy said, "We're booked in to do our apparition tests today."  
  
Casting her eye around the group Betty smiled and pointing towards the fireplace she said, "Well you know the routine, just call for magical transportation."  
  
One by one the friends stepped up to the fireplace cast the floo powder into the flames and swirled away through the floo system of the Ministry of magic. Fortunately for Lily James had gone before her and was there to catch her as she tumbled from the sparkling green flames.  
  
Smirking he said, "I can't believe you still fall out."  
  
In return for his kindness Lily swatted him on the arm and said, "Oh shut up James."  
  
Rolling her eyes at the smirks and chuckles she was getting from her friends Lily moved to the desk against the far wall.  
  
Smiling at the old wizard Lily said, "Hello, we are here to take our apparition test."  
  
Swiftly the elderly figure had taken down their names and in pairs they had been assigned an apparition test examiner. The last pair was told to go through the glass door to the left and the rest were told to take a seat.  
  
Smiling at their friends James Potter and Annie Ryan headed off. Fifteen minutes later they were back in the entrance of the Magical transport department happily waving their pass certificates. Next went Remus Lupin and Lily Evans, followed by Marie Devon and Aggy Court and finally it was the turn of Danny Brocklehurst and Sirius Black. After an hour and a half the eight friends were ready to exit the Ministry each the owner of a new apparition certificate. With the rest of the day free they headed off to the Leaky Cauldron for a well deserved butterbeer.  
  
Once inside the dark old pub the girl's head for a table near the fire while the boys headed to the bar. As the boys returned drinks in hand and extra stools pulled up to the long rectangular table, six sets of eyes turned to Danny and Sirius.  
  
Looking at his friend Remus asked the question they all wanted the answer to "Why did it take you two longer than the rest of us?"  
  
At this Danny let out a low throaty laugh and Sirius smiled.  
  
"Well, are you going to tell us or not?" James asked.  
  
Chuckling Sirius said, "There was a slight hiccup with the last part of the test."  
  
A slight confused look on her face Marie said, "What apparating back to the start point?"  
  
At this Sirius nodded and then said, "Alright, it all started well we got the destination and Danny went first. We both hit the mark dead on and the first examiner gave us both full marks. Again we hit the second mark dead on but then on the last leg I miss calculated and instead of picturing the apparition sight, I pictured Danny at the apparition sight and landed on his shoulders."   
  
At this the story came to an end for a second as Danny and Sirius cracked up laughing.  
  
"God, you should have seen the old guys face. It was a picture," Danny said while gulping air between bursts of laughter. "That's not the best bit though, as Sirius realized the guy was about to fail him, he jumped down from my shoulders and turned on the little boy routine."   
  
Shrugging his shoulders Sirius said, "It worked the old wizard let me apparate back to the last check point and then apparate back to him."  
  
Shaking his head Remus said, "Only you Padfoot that could get away with that, a bloody drama queen to the end."  
  
This sent the group off laughing again as Sirius Black; trainee Auror sat pouting and batting his eyelashes at his friends. Another butterbeer was had in the Leaky Cauldron before the friends headed back into Diagon Alley to find a café for lunch before doing some much needed shopping. As dusk descended the friends found them selves in Lily and Aggy's flat, were the girls whipped up some food for dinner and the friends settled down for a night in together before everyone had to head off home.  
  
Eight friends and four couples said their goodbyes late that evening, six of the eight young witches and wizards using their newfound skill to apparate out of the tiny flat. Danny and Sirius managed to frighten Peter out of his wits as they both landed in the sitting room with a loud bump. Marie and Annie apparated into the entrance hall of their parent's homes, to shouts of congratulations from their families as they saw the certificates. While James and Remus landed just on the outskirts of Hogsmeades village and started the long trek up to the old castle that had been their home for the last seven years.  
  
* ~ * ~~ * ~ *  
  
Later that night the events of the day were replayed by each one of the eight friends, as they lay wrapped up in warm blankets and happy smiles on their faces as they drifted off into sleep. With dark times ahead of them and the war effort intensifying by the day, life had to be snatched and enjoyed. Life was uncertain at best but in these times even more so and whatever happiness you could get had to be grabbed quickly and held onto with all your might.  
  
Beta Note: Tear! Such a sweet chapter, the more you review they quicker Madame Padfoot writes!

A/N: Thanks for reading hope you enjoyed the first chapter.  Please don't forget to click the little button and let me know what you think.

Madame Padfoot

  
  
  
  
  
  

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	2. Welcome to the real world

A/N: This chapter has not been beta-ed. I'll post the cleaned up version later. My beta has come a bit of a cropper and broken her leg. Get well soon Allie!!  
  
Thanks for all the reviews for the first chapter (totally amazed at the number). Glad everyone enjoyed it. Hope this one goes down just as well.  
  
All the questions raised in the reviews will be answered at some point through out the story, please hang tight all will be revealed!  
* Welcome to the real world *  
  
As their feet landed on the squarely on the solid ground at the edge of the school boundary, Remus and James came face to face. Both boys broke into a hearty laugh as they caught sight of the cheesy grins on each other's face. Slowly walking along the small path that was just beyond the apparation border James wondered how to broach the subject of his and Lily's wedding with Remus. After a few more minutes of silent contemplation as they meandered through the grounds on their way up to the castle, James decided it was it was better to just get it over with.  
  
"So Remus when are you and Aggy planning on getting married?" James asked deciding the best course of action was deflection.  
  
Unnoticed by James Remus flinched slightly at the question and was grateful for the dark. Thinking for a moment he said, "Not sure, we haven't really talked about it yet."  
  
"Oh! I thought Aggy would have been nagging you to death, seeing as it is all the rest of the girls seem to discuss," James replied.  
  
"You know Aggy, she is not really the girlie type, especially now that she has started auror training," Remus said quickly. "Anyway how are your wedding plans going."  
  
James sighed as the ball was back in his caught, taking a moment he said, "From what Lily said today it sounds like the girls have everything under control. It's just a case of being told what to do and when."  
  
Again silence descended between them as each contemplated the words that had been said. James pushed his hands into the pockets of his robes and noted the signature of the partially hidden door that would gain them entry into the castle hallowed corridors.  
  
Feeling the hand on his arm Remus turned to look at James saying, "What?"  
  
"Remus, I asked Sirius to stand for me when Lily and I get married. I hope you understand, its just that we made a promise and ."  
  
But before James could say anything else he felt a hand covering his on Remus's arm as his friend said, "James, you don't have to explain. I never expected to carry out that role."  
  
James gave him a small smile as he said, "Thanks Remus."  
  
Nodding at one another, they turned back to the task of the hidden doorway and within moments Remus brandished his wand, uttered a password and was pushing lightly at the stone wall. Once inside James reset the wards and sealed the entrance. The two young men made their way along the low dark corridor reaching the door at the far end five minutes later, a few more hurried words and they were bathed in the soft golden light being emitted from the fire in their hidden quarters deep in the belly of the old castle.  
  
Remus turned as soon as they entered the room, it was only three days until the full moon and he could feel the slow waning impact of the change beginning. As Remus made his way towards his bedroom, James ensconced himself into one of the armchairs and began review of the research the latest research that Remus had completed just before they had left for their apparation test. They had been asked to make a presentation of their finding in less than 3 week and their futures were depending on it.  
  
* ~ * ~~ * ~ *  
  
As September loomed on the horizon, nerves and tension rose among the small band of friends.  
  
Annie Ryan was slowly becoming more and more stressed as the date of her pending wedding to Danny. The permanent state of secrecy due to her family having no idea was also warring on her already stretched nerves. In their spare time Danny and Annie had also started to look for somewhere to live once they became husband and wife. Danny's housemates offered for Annie to move into the house and share Danny's room. Unfortunately, kind as the offer was it was received about as gratefully as a lead balloon.  
  
Aggy discovered that life with Lily in the weeks preceding a Quidditch game rivalled Lily's behaviour during exam week at Hogwarts. For Lily the only solace she got was during the time spent buried in research at the Ministry in the labs of the experimental charms department. Due to her personnel connection and past experiences Lily's brief was defence charms.  
  
It was also heating up for the Ministry's latest recruits to the auror training academy. The ten week basic training programme was coming to an end and they were all working towards their final assessment. Towards the end of September, in small groups they would take part in a live battle situation. The outcome would determine their squad groups and leadership positions. Aggy was glad that she had been paired with a Ravenclaw and together her and Danny had worked hard on researching different offensive and defensive strategies for a range of different situations. On the other hand Sirius and Patrick seemed to be heading towards advanced duelling techniques and hit squad tactics.  
  
Marie spent most days just ambling along, thoroughly enjoying her research post in potions. She had managed to secure a post at the Ministry. Her main job was analysis of substances brought in by aurors or those that had been taken from patients at St Mungos and sent to them. As a sideline she had been able to combine further study as part of her job and was compiling research she could use to complete a professional potions makers course. The only downside for Marie was that she often found her self in the company of Peter Pettigrew, not one of her favourite people but could be dealt with on a professional basis.  
  
Hidden away in the confines of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the only two untouched by the stress but not the tension where James and Remus. Life as researchers was flowing at a nice steady pace. As of yet they had not been required to do anything more dangerous that going into the restricted section of the library after nightfall. Both knew that if their research were successfully received, it wouldn't be long before they too would be involved in the cut and thrust of the war against the dark.  
  
* ~ * ~~ * ~ * In the grand scheme of thing the first of the friends to go through an initiation to the real world were James and Remus. At the end of the school year both of them had been called into Professor Dumbledore's office and he had said that they were that best candidates this year for consideration to join the coveted, if some what mysterious Order of the Phoenix. Remus had jumped at the chance, knowing that other offers would be sparse on the ground due to his condition. For James it was more a way of honouring the memory of his parents, by becoming part of the prestigious group who were committed to the downfall of the terror created by Voldermort.  
  
The boy's time to present their research was upon them and both were anxious, essentially everything depended on how well the members received the information. The overall confidence of the members of the order in their ability had to be gained to allow them to join the group. Remus was desperate to make a good impression, hoping that no one present at the meeting would be overly prejudice against werewolves. James felt the pressure doubly, he wanted the position for himself but he also knew that this meant a lot to Remus and he really didn't want to let his friend down either.  
  
On the day of the meeting with dinner over the two friends made their way up to Professor Dumbledore's office and from there they were led into a small anti chamber which was accessed from a hidden doorway behind Fawkes' perch. It didn't take long for them to reach the end of the small passage and come face to face with the door that stood between them and the Order of the Phoenix. With his hand on the handle Professor Dumbledore halted and then turned to face the two young men who he had watched grow from children to gangly teenagers and now into men. One had gone from a shy boy grateful of any sign of acceptance to a confident adult who was surrounded by friends. The other a carbon copy of his father confident and noble but with his mothers sensibility, he had always wondered how much the boy knew of his ancestry.  
  
A small smile played on his lips as he said, "I am confident that you will do your best but I need to inform you that if you are not successful then an obliverate spell will be cast to remove any knowledge of the order. Is that clear?"  
  
Receiving nods of affirmation from both of them Professor Dumbledore turned and opened the door, ushering James and Remus inside the long oval room. Professor Dumbledore guided them to an open space at one side of the table from which all in the room would have a clear view of the up coming presentation.  
  
A quick scan around the large table revealed for the first time the people who would judge whether they were worthy of being sanctioned to join the elusive group. For both of the ex Hogwarts students some of the familiar faces came as a surprise. As their old headmaster reached his seat they noted that Professor McGonagall was sat to his left whose expression seemed to say don't let me down, and a youngish wizard to his right who James recognised as Alistair Moody, a Ministry auror he had met through his father. Two seats down from Professor McGonagall sat another familiar face that they both recognised, Arthur Weasley. A small nod of acknowledgement was shared between the three.  
  
Slightly perplexed at what was expected or what was going to happen next James and Remus placed their notes on the table in front of them and waited, hoping for a signal. This was received in the form of a nod from the headmaster once he was settled into his seat and happily sucking on a lemon drop.  
  
Nerves running high the boys got off to a shaky start, which was not aided by the unrelenting glare of their former head of house. Both James and Remus seemed to come to an unconscious agreement to avoid the transfiguration professor's gaze from then on.  
  
Finally with their research outlined, it wasn't long before the two friends got wrapped up in the information they had prepared and the nerves disappeared and a seamless flow of detailed research on the latest ideas of defence against the dark arts floated around the room. Two hours later they stepped back from the table and opened the presentation to the occupants of the room for questions and comments. A couple of hours later found the two would be members of the order of the Phoenix sat in their shared sitting room awaiting the decision of whether they would be allowed to keep their memories.  
  
Bottles of butterbeer in hand they sat in silence both staring into the flickering flames of the slowly dying fire at the grate. Feeling the quiver of the wards that protected the entrance to their room two heads snapped up and they looked intently at one another faces showing masks of anxiety. Neither sure if the speed with which the order had obviously made their decision was a good or bad thing.  
  
Hearing the click of the door two sets of eyes were glued to the figure of Albus Dumbledore who at that moment was ensuring the door had closed behind him. They had still not seen the Professors face but the look on it as he turned around was enough to turn the stomachs of the hopeful to young men.  
  
"The order have asked me to inform you of their decision," Professor Dumbledore started with and then a small flitted across his face as he said, "They would like to say welcome to the ranks of the order of the Phoenix."  
  
Once again silence descend across the room as the words sunk into the minds of both Remus and James. It didn't take long for them to comprehend that they had been accepted and soon they where out of their seats congratulating each other on their achievement, both forgetting that the headmaster was still present. That was until a small chuckle broke through their excitement and caused them to blush at their juvenile reaction to the news.  
  
Seeing the sheepish looks on their faces only caused the twinkle in Albus Dumbledore's eyes to shine brighter as he said, "Well done boys, I must say that I was never in any doubt that you would not be triumphant in convincing the order of your value. Everyone was very impressed with the maturity of the research and ideas you presented. Also the depth of the advanced concepts concerning defence with particular reference to charms concerning Voldermort in particular was very well received."  
  
At this both James and Remus grimaced slightly at the complement.  
  
"Professor I have to say that the charms information was not solely mine or Remus's idea," James said.  
  
Smiling at the two boys he said in reply, "Yes I do suppose having two of the most talented charms students in many years as partners, does come in handy."  
  
Again this simply gained the Professor smiles from the two young men that sat facing him.  
  
For the next hour Professor Dumbledore explained the security involved with maintaining the secrecy and protection of order members.  
  
Finally Professor Dumbledore addressed the issue of the involvement of their friends and partners, he said, "Concerning Miss Evans and Miss Court, I feel that their loyalty to the cause of the light will never be in question and that you may involve them in your research to the point that you feel neither you or them will come into any harm."  
  
In response to this Albus Dumbledore received two nods.  
  
"I think for now it may be wise to restrict your involvement to the two ladies," replied Professor Dumbledore. "I know that this may cause some issues among your other friends but for now I think it will be the safest option."  
  
Again two solemn and serious faces nodded their agreement. At this gesture the Headmaster rose from his seat and headed towards the door. A quick goodbye and he was gone leaving James Potter and Remus Lupin alone in their quarters to congratulate each other on their achievement. They quickly formulated two notes, one to Lily and Aggy and another to Sirius that informed him they had both been successful in gaining then teaching apprenticeships.  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
The next morning an owl was waiting for Aggy and Lily when they rose for a morning at the Ministry, it held a single word in James' handwriting, Success. Grinning at each other they sat down and quickly penned a reply.  
  
Congratulations, we will meet you tomorrow night at The Three Broomsticks for dinner.  
  
Love L & A  
  
Lily rolled the parchment up and tied it to the leg of the tawny owl that had brought them the note. Stroking the birds head Lily said, "Please take this to James Potter or Remus Lupin."  
  
Both girls stood back and watched the small native British owl fly out of the living room window.  
  
Dinner in Hogsmeades couldn't come quick enough for Aggy and Lily. It would be the first time that they had managed to see their boyfriends in nearly a week, what with James and Remus preparing for the interview with the order, Lily training for her first match and Aggy preparing for the first part of the auror assessment life was exceedingly busy.  
  
After apparating into the Wizarding village the two girls headed straight for the pub and smiled at the enthusiastic greeting they received from Rosmerta. James and Remus arrived with in five minutes of them and soon the four were ensconced in a corner table well hidden from the roving eyes of the Inns clientele. The night passed in a too quickly for all concerned but it took little persuasion on the girls parts to get their boyfriends to show them their new accommodation that was hidden in the depths of the castle they all loved so much.  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ * On a warm September morning Lily Evans woke early and after a quick breakfast she left a note for her room mate and apparated out of the tiny flat with a destination of the clubhouse at Puddlemere United. One hour later found Aggy Court pottering around the kitchen as one by one her long time friends apparated with a pop into the warm and welcoming Diagon Alley flat.  
  
It was the day Lily Evans would make her debut appearance as a chaser for Puddlemere United and all were gathered ready to support their friend. All were grateful that it was a home game and that there apparation skills would not be tested to any great extent. Finishing their tea it was soon time to head out to the Quidditch ground that belonged to the club. Arriving in the ground Aggy dished out the tickets that Lily had given her the day before. All were impressed with the seats she had gotten them and quickly made their way up one of the north towers behind the hoops being defended by the opposition.  
  
With twenty minutes to go the crowd were treated to Celestina Warbeck an avid Puddlemere fan singing the clubs anthem 'Beat Back Those Bludgers Boys and Chuck That Quaffle Here'. This was well received by the Puddlemere fans.  
  
Hush descended over the ground as the commentator cleared his throat and caught the attention of the waiting crowd but it was the opposition who raised the first cheer as Catriona McCormack the Pride of Portree's famous chaser came out onto the field to wave at the crowd, at her side a young witch who looked to be every inch her mothers daughter and future Quidditch star.  
  
Down in the tunnel under the stands stood fourteen anxious Quidditch players, the first game of the season was nerve racking no matter how long you had been playing. Too the left stood the Puddlemere United players in their navy blue robes, which were bearing the clubs emblem of two crossed golden bulrushes. On the right stood their opposition the Pride of Portree, known as the 'Prides' to their fans in their deep purple robes with a gold star on the chest.  
  
After what had seemed an age the gates were opened and the sun streamed into the small passageway that connected the changing rooms to the Quidditch pitch. The players flew into the stadium as the commentator announced them and up in the top of the north tower a small contingency of ex Hogwarts students cheered extra loud at the sight of the pretty red head emerging into the light.  
  
The players took their positions and Lily smiled over at her fellow chaser and friend Richard Makin. Above them sat against the bright blue sky was Philip Tring Puddlemere and England's seeker.  
  
While sat waiting for the referee to blow the whistle Lily's stomach felt like it was doing somersaults as her nerves got the better of her. Watching the referee take his position and the third Puddlemere United chaser Dahl Redman take his position across from one of the Pride of Portree's chasers, Lily's eyes noticed the dark red quaffle for the first time and from that moment her eyes were glued to it. Concentration was etched over her face and the sound of the stadium seemed to dull to a low whisper as she listened for the high shrill that would signal the beginning of the first game of her career.  
  
Before she knew it all hell broke loose as the quaffle floated into the air and two brooms lurched forward as the players tried to get the first touch. The first ten minutes seemed to involve both teams checking out the opposition for the Puddlemere chasers the game turned a corner as the Prides chasers set up a Parkin's Pincer move on Richard. Dahl signalled to Lily to take the left and at the last moment she cut in front of the Pride chaser who was flying headlong towards Richard who was being planked by the other two Pride chasers. Crossing between the gaggle of chasers was enough of a distraction on Lily's part to knock the Pride chaser off course and so save Richard from a possible collision.  
  
Another thirty minutes down the line and the scores were even both sets of chasers were evenly matched. At that point all knew that the seekers would determine the final score and this was the one area that Puddlemere out shone the Prides on, Philip was having an outstanding game. He had managed one Wronski Feint, which had cost the Prides a time out and their seeker to require some emergency medical attention.  
  
A good technical player Lily, smile as a Hawkshead attacking formation was called by Dahl and together the Puddlemere chasers formed the distinctive shape making an intimidating impression on the opposition as they headed for the goalposts. With only the keeper to beat they had separated at the last possible moment and in the confusion of the three players swarming towards him the goalkeeper targeted the wrong chaser. In split second only Lily was left in the scoring area and before the Prides keeper could adjust for his error she had scored her first professional goal.  
  
The pride of Portree managed to edge into the lead due to a well executed Bludger Backbeat. Confusion had reigned among the Puddlemere chasers as one of the Prides beaters using a backhand swing of his club sent a bludger soaring behind him and straight towards the unassuming chasers.  
  
The small elusive golden snitch was finally spotted three hours into the game and the ensuing dive was way beyond impressive. The two seekers had noticed the glint of the fluttering wings at the same time and the race was on. Air borne acrobatics was nothing compared to the moves being pulled off by the seekers who were desperately pursuing victory. To the relief of the home crowd it was Philip Tring's fingers that closed around the snitch and rendering it inactive, signifying the end of the game.  
  
The roar of the crowd was deafening as the home team did a victory lap of the stadium, waving to their devoted fans. It didn't take long for the Jonesy to issue orders about the next training session and the players to make their way into the changing rooms. Lily was happy to accept the congratulations from her team mates on surviving her first game and Richard reminded her as he was hugging her tight to not forget to owl Rowan.  
  
Finally making it out of the players area Lily mingles through the people standing around the front of the stadium and beamed as she saw the familiar sight of her friends standing together. After a lot of positive reinforcement, hearty congratulations and excessive amounts of kissing and hugging they all headed for the local pub.  
  
TBC  
  
A/N: So what did you think! Please click the button and let me know. Thanks for reading.  
  
Next chapter should be up within the next month. Coming up Annie and Danny's wedding and possibly Auror training.  
  
Madame Padfoot 


	3. To have and to hold

A/N: I am sorry it took so long. I hope it was worth the wait. Hopefully the next chapter won't take quite as long to get out.  
  
This chapter is UN-BETAED and will be replaced with an edited version but I decided everyone had waited long enough.  
  
Thank you for you patience and I promise this story will be finished.  
  
~~*~~~*~~  
  
** To have and to hold **  
  
In a small flat in the hidden folds of Diagon Alley the tables were turned on Aggy Court as the infamous assessment day approached. It had only been a few weeks since Lily had gone through the stress of her first professional Quidditch game with Aggy on the side lines watching her friend drive her self crazy with worry and now she was in the same position. Over the last week she had often found her self pace the length of the little sitting room mumbling to her self and much to her annoyance she often caught her supposedly best friend chuckling over the top of a book on charms research.  
  
Tomorrow was D-day for the four trainee Aurors. Lily knew her friend was ready but she also knew that no matter what she said Aggy would never accept this information as true, so she cut her losses for the night and wishing Aggy pleasant dreams and headed to bed. Nerves frazzled, Aggy stood in the middle of the tiny room and stared into the large old mirror and realized there was nothing left but to follow Lily's example and go to bed and hope.  
  
It was an anxious Aggy Court that sat opposite Lily Evans the next morning nursing a hot cup of tea in the hope that it would settle the butterflies that seemed to be breeding a great rate of knots in her stomach. Unknown to Aggy the brew Lily had handed her contained a few added extras. Lily had strengthened their early morning drink with lemon for peace and angelica for protection. As time move on the girls got ready in silence and the short walk to the ministry seemed endless that morning.  
  
Reaching the doors Lily turned to Aggy and hugged her tight. "Good luck, I'll see you tonight." Lily whispered.  
  
"Thanks," was the only reply she got as they headed into the entrance to the old building.  
  
Both nodded to the old witch sat at the reception desk, making it to the fireplace both girls were soon swirling through the Ministry's floo network to their respective departments.  
  
Stepping into the room before her Aggy quickly dusted her robes down, removing the small specks of soot she had picked up and her short fire journey. Glancing around the squad room Aggy sighed with relief as she caught sight of the familiar dark head of Sirius Black. Quietly heading over towards him Aggy smiled to her self as she realized he hadn't seen her. Going into stealth mode Aggy crept up on the unsuspecting young man and on reaching him she stuck out her finger and poked him in the side.  
  
The squeal that echoed around the room causing heads to turn in the direction of the girly sound and was exactly what Aggy needed to calm her nerves. Although the glare that found itself firmly planted on the handsome face of Sirius Black managed to achieve some of its purpose and Aggy bit her lip to quell the laughter that was rumbling in her throat.  
  
Taking a deep breath Aggy apologised to her old housemate. "Sirius I'm sorry but I just couldn't resist."  
  
Slowly a smile broke through the dark look on the normally mischievous face and with a roll of his eyes Sirius said, "Don't worry I'll hold it in reserve for later."  
  
This earned him a smile but before Aggy could respond the sound of the head of the Auror training division boomed around the busy room. The loud booming voice silenced the room in an instant and twenty pairs of eyes all turned to look at the department chief. Stood next to her friends Aggy Court held her breath as the teams were announced and the assignments were issued. Feeling the warmth of a body close to her Aggy looked up to find a worried looking Danny Brocklehurst was stood right beside her. A quick glance to the left and Aggy found the same worried expressions on the handsome faces of both Sirius and Patrick.  
  
Aggy was brought back to the reality of the situation as the chief's voice boomed all around them.  
  
"Team three will consist of Black, Boot, Brocklehurst and Court. Your commander for this assignment is Moody and you will be taking part in a snatch and grab operation."  
  
The four ex-Hogwarts students stood stock still, the tension flowing freely through them as they waited for the instructions for the final two groups to be announced. Finally five mission commanders appeared at the front of the squad room and motioned for their team of trainees to follow them.  
  
The horror of their assigned leader had sunk into the four friends and as each looked up to see the gnarled face of Alastor Moody staring at them, dread and despair filled them. Moody was legendary around the Ministry and they had each snatched glimpses of him while completing their training. The man commanded respect even from a distance and being this close only intensified the feeling. He was renowned for his ruthlessness and determination to take prisoners alive, no matter what and it was this that had gained him the reputation he carried, along with the rumours about the ferocity of his interrogation skills. For the unfortunate four who had received looks of pity from their fellow trainees it was the fact that Alastor Moody was well known to have no tolerance for trainees, which he referred to as 'green sticks'. Also what was more than rumour was the fact that more often than not trainee female Aurors assigned to Moody did not pass the final assessment.  
  
Nervously standing before the somewhat ragged looking wizard it was hard not to notice the face that was beginning to resemble the lines of a map due to the collection of battle scars that ran haphazardly over the marled skin that was stretched tight over the bones. The electric blue eye roved over them, increasing their anxiety ten fold, everyone at the Ministry knew of the magical eye but it was shrouded in mystery as to what it was capable of and it only added to the persona that emanated from the man.  
  
After what had seemed an age but had only been a couple of seconds, Moody nodded for them to follow him. The four fell into a comfortable diamond battle formation Patrick being point man at the front, Aggy and Danny flanking him and Sirius bringing up the rear. Unknown to the four a flicker of a smirk crossed the features of the revered Auror as he observed them with one of the abilities that the magical eye granted him.  
  
In a small briefing room Moody had taken them through the major points of the operation and it was an hour later that the four friends found them selves standing at the apparition point awaiting the signal. If they had not been filled with dread before it was literally oozing from their pores now as Moody had made it clear to them that he would cut them loose if at any point he felt they were jeopardising the mission or the safety of the team. Knowing this each stood, eyes glued to the face of their commander and with the nod of his head the four-man team disappeared in the blink of an eye. Moody followed them a couple of seconds later and was pleased with the sight that awaited him. It also confirmed to him the information his eye had gained earlier.  
  
Once again the diamond pattern had been formed, Aggy and Danny assessing the situation while Sirius and Patrick provided protection and cover for what Moody was sure were the brains of the operation. He had been prepared for this mission in advance and the assignment of these four had not been an accident but a carefully controlled placement. Every thing so far pointed to the fact that as far as Moody was concerned the files were right for once and these four worked seamlessly together.  
  
Joining the small group Alastor Moody said, "Time to get this show on the road. Black, Boot stand guard and stun anything that moves." Turning Moody noted the pensive look on the girls face. "Well if you have anything to say spit it out girlie."  
  
Sirius held his breath he had known Aggy Court long enough to know that that was not the best way to address her and he silently hoped her legendary temper would remain in check.  
  
Top lip curled in distain at the reference but tension of the situation caused Aggy to falter slightly. "Well according to the intelligence we looked at the captive should be easy enough to locate once inside." Again Aggy faltered again as she noted the so what expression of the experience Auror. "I think it would be more effective if we create a distraction out here and two of us slip in, grab the prisoner."  
  
Cutting in before she was finished Moody said, "Good plan but you forgot one little problem the place is heavily guarded." Noting the look on the girls face Moody decided in for a penny, in for a pound and decided to see what the girl was made of. "Listen girlie when I want your opinion I will give it to you."  
  
At this Sirius turned his head slightly and wished he hadn't, the look on Aggy's face was one he had seen many times before and he prayed to every deity he could think of that she wouldn't lose it, but unfortunately it seemed that no one was listening.  
  
Lip curled into a snarl that Aggy usually reserved for dealing with Sirius's inane pranks, she turned to face the older wizard. "Don't girlie me. If you could keep your over zealous ego in check long enough for me to finish what I was saying." Aggy paused taking a large breath before continuing. "Using the invisibility charm, two of us could easily manoeuvre the guards, retrieve the prisoner and get out undetected."  
  
"Well Girlie, only one problem the charm I assume you are talking about only works for short periods of time and is not that effective on people."  
  
"Shows how little you know," came the retort from one seriously pissed off Aggy Court.  
  
Quickly pointing her wand at herself Aggy muttered an incantation and as the words left her lips so did Aggy's appearance from the view of the four wizards. Another muttered incantation and she reappeared rolling her eyes at the stunned faces before her. Once again Alastor Moody was impressed this girl was good.  
  
"As you can see the charm has been improved and before you ask we also worked on the time frame, which now lasts as long as the caster maintains the spell or consciousness."  
  
With that Moody decided to see what this girl was made of and how much it would take to break her. "You think your so clever girlie, well it's your show. Mess this up and you will be out of the Ministry for good."  
  
After a second of panicking Aggy went into women's lib mode and decided to stuff the old git and show him what a girlie could do. Making a quick calculation Aggy decided that the best strategy would be for her and Sirius to go in, leaving the other three outside to create the diversion. No matter what else, Aggy knew that she could count on Sirius to do what was asked and to follow her lead. Outlining her plan to the others Aggy tried not to look at Moody, last thing she needed was him second-guessing her, but little did she know that the experienced Auror was right behind her.  
  
Soon Aggy and Sirius found them selves cloaked and awaiting the upcoming distraction that would hopefully be enough to draw the attention of who ever was guarding the entrance. At the sight of the first death eater Aggy's nerve wavered but the nudge from Sirius got her back on task and moving towards the entrance. Once inside the pair quickly navigated the corridors, stunning the occasional dark wizard they came across which proved to be easier than they thought. Grabbing the prisoner on the other hand was more difficult as the sound of disembodied voices seemed to unnerve the man. Using the magical bind to communicate to Sirius to cover her, Aggy re-materialised before the traumatised wizard and assured him they were there to help.  
  
In next to no time Aggy, Sirius and their charge were making their way back out of the holding facility and towards the rendezvous area. Again the magical properties of the roving blue eye indicated to Moody that a strategically retreat was in order and soon the five Ministry employees were stood together in a tight huddle around the target of their mission. Each laying a hand on the target of their mission Moody gave the signal to apparate out of the area.  
  
With in seconds of them arriving at the Ministries apparition point medi- wizards had appeared and secured the injured man to a floating stretcher and whisked him away for treatment. Alastor Moody stood and eyed the four trainees carefully, first as a group and then each of them was given the once over. He noted to him self that this would be the first time that he would pass four trainees at the same time. Without a word he turned from them and headed for the hallowed halls of the Ministry building, on reaching the door he turned back to face them.  
  
"Your done for the week. You'll get the results by owl."  
  
Before any of them could ask a question or even make a noise in response he was gone, leaving four shell-shocked adolescents in his wake.  
  
Sirius was the first to recover. "I'm going for a shower and then over to the Leaky Cauldron." Turning to face his friends he said, "Anyone interested in joining me?"  
  
Three heads nodded at him, two sighed in relief that it was over for better or worse but the third face was pensive, Aggy Court had let her temper get the better of her yet again and it had put her out on a limb. The mission had been a success but she was well aware that she had been insolent to a commanding officer and had changed the orders rather than just followed them.  
  
With a week off Aggy was charged with pulling the wedding plans together. They had just two weeks left before the big day and although everything was ready Annie was getting increasingly skittish as the days ticked by that the other three girls had removed a lot of the responsibility of the wedding from her shoulders. Annie's main job was to ensure the wedding clothes were finished and not to worry about anything else.  
  
Much to Aggy's annoyance she had been instructed to get the boys sorted. Trying to get them all together in the same place took some effort but she eventually managed it. Corralling them in the sitting room of the their house, Aggy began.  
  
"We have a number of things to get done, so I want not messing. Do I make myself clear?" Aggy asked as she eyed each boy in turn, the Gryffindors had seen that look before and even the mischievous Sirius Black paled slightly and nodded his head. The Ravenclaw's had heard about Aggy Court's temper but never witnessed it first hand but seeing the look of Black's face they instinctively knew that they had better just do as told. Please that she had there attention Aggy continued. "First we need to make sure your robes fit and then we will have a quick run through the wedding ceremony to make sure everyone knows what to do."  
  
One by one each male was stood before Aggy who pulled at the robe they had slipped on until she was happy with it. A note was made to alter Sirius's slightly but other than that the fit was perfect, Annie had out done herself. Before long it was dinnertime and the friends were heading into Diagon Alley to meet the three remaining girls from their respective jobs, as this was the first time in weeks that James and Remus had managed to get away from Hogwarts for more than a couple of hours they had decided to make a night of it. While James, Danny and Sirius headed towards the main street the others headed for the Leaky Cauldron to secure a cosy sitting room from Tom and to get the first round of butterbeers ordered. In the main bar Tom the bar keeper smiled to himself at the loud raucous laughter that often filtered through from the small room at the side of the bar were the small group of ex-Hogwarts students were ensconced.  
  
*~~~*~~~*~~~* A few days later found Aggy sitting nursing her early morning cup of tea and absently chatting to Lily who was getting ready for a morning at the Ministry. The light tapping at the window caught her attention and she noticed an owl was awaiting entry. It wasn't until she noticed the Ministry seal on the parchment that her heart rate soared to the point that she thought it might stop. Holding the envelope in shaky fingers Aggy stood in front of the old mirror a look of terror spreading over her face at the thought that she held her future in her hands. This was the scene that greeted Lily as she wandered back into the room from the kitchen.  
  
"Aggy, you will never know if you don't open it?"  
  
In a darting movement Aggy's eyes lifted from the small oblong to meet the bright green eyes of her friend and seeing the twinkle Aggy groaned before turning her gaze back down to her hands. Slowly she turned the envelope over and slid her fingernail under the edge of the seal, with a little pressure the wax cracked and the flap lifted. Taking a steadying breath Aggy manoeuvred the folded parchment out and opened it. Scanning the page quickly, her eyes widening and a large smile spreading over her soft pink lips told Lily all she needed to know.  
  
Aggy lifted her eyes and immediately rolled her eyes at the look upon Lily's face. "I did it, I'm in. I have to report on Monday morning to the Auror division to find out who I'm being assigned to but I'm in, I'm a fully fledged Auror."  
  
Finally both girls let go, Lily grabbed her and together they danced around the sitting room, both giggling like naughty schoolgirls.  
~~*~~~*~~  
  
With the careers of all the friends mapped out, an extra celebration was in order and as Thursday before the wedding rolled around, the small band of friends found them selves in what had become their room at the Leaky Cauldron. The pent up emotions of the four newly appointed Aurors were released and Tom the bartender was grateful that they were behind closed doors and the damage would be minimal. Even Annie Ryan managed to relax for the first time in weeks. Watching her friend, Lily assumed that Annie's disposition might have had something to do with the fact that her drinks seemed to bypass Sirius before reaching the unsuspecting dark haired witch.  
  
Over the last three weeks Annie had slowly got more and more jittery about the upcoming nuptials between her and Danny. The careful façade that had been built was slowly crumbling around her ears and even her parents were on the verge of having the girl committed to St Mungo's for examination. This wasn't helped any by the sight of a seriously hung over teenager sitting at the table the next day or by the tearful display they were treated to as she prepared to leave home that evening to supposedly spend the weekend with her school friends in Diagon Alley.  
  
Stood in the sitting room of her family home Annie slowly looked around and couldn't stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks and dripping from her chin. Biting her bottom lip, Annie took a deep breath before saying goodbye to her parents. If the performance of the last few weeks had them worried, this tear filled farewell had them well and truly befuddled. As their daughter popped out of the room, her father turned an eye upon his wife and uttered a single word in answer of his daughter's strange behaviour.  
  
"Hormones!"  
  
~~*~~~*~~  
  
After congregating in the sitting room of Lily and Aggy's flat it wasn't long before the girls along with two very full trunks were disappearing from sight. Re-appearing in front of the Three Broomsticks the girls were greeted by Rosmerta. As many traditions were being upheld as possible, tonight would find the bridal party secluded away in the back rooms of the old pub, while the bachelors were to be found ensconced in the private rooms of Mr James Potter and Mr Remus Lupin.  
  
Sleep finally over took each of them, their minds filled with times gone by and the memories of childhoods spent at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.  
  
~~*~~~*~~  
  
At the twinkling of first light crept into the bedrooms of The Three Broomsticks, Annie Ryan was sat against the window of her room staring aimlessly at the languidly awaking village. Annie wasn't the only person contemplating the future that morning. Unable to help herself Aggy Court brushed haphazardly at the tear that had escaped at the thought of the upcoming wedding, it was the thought that the feelings dwelling within her would only get worse as the day wore on. She knew that the sight of the tall willowy boy she had known for seven years would be her undoing. Hatred so intense it coloured her vision and it seemed the world had been bathed in red as her mind wondered to the bigoted idiots she had only just sworn her allegiance too.  
  
The cloud of melancholy that had settled around the dark haired beauty was soon dissipated by the frantic activity that overtook the small group of bedrooms as the final wedding preparations were put in place. Lily posted a plan of attack and in turn each girl was allotted a certain amount of time in the bathroom. With the bathing schedule completed four bath-robed girls sat around as Rosmerta delivered a scrumptious breakfast of hot waffles, pancakes, fruit and syrup. As the food was devoured and then coffee drunk at a leisurely pace the main topic of conversation turned to the best man and the mystery of who was to be his date for the wedding.  
  
As the chime of the large clock in the bar downstairs drifted up through the old worn floorboards, Annie's mantra of 'Oh my god' began and for the next ten minutes it was the only response that they could get out of her. Finally with just fifteen minutes to go Annie Ryan was sitting in her underwear while her friends put the last of the finishing touches to the bride to be's make-up and hair. As the last to be dressed Annie took this moment to survey her handy work and smiled at the sight of her friends in the ensembles that she had created. The robes were still very traditional; resembling the photos she had seen in her mothers wedding album but the minor modifications she had made brought them right up to date.  
  
Standing before her Annie smiled at each of her friends in turn, they looked simply stunning in the high empire line dresses of delicate cream satin. The soft golden shimmering organza over wraps draped beautifully, casting a golden glow that emphasised the hard point of the sleeve that was emblazoned with intricate gold and silver brocade. The weight of the embroidered brocade help the sleeve points stay in place and enveloped the hem of the dresses in a majestic beauty. A simple ring of cream rose buds entwined with vanilla and laurel adorned the hair of each girl.  
  
As the last fabric covered button was fastened Annie stood back, her dress matched those of the bridesmaids in every detail but the colour. Gold shimmering organza this time fell with fluid grace over the deep red silk. The ring of cream rose buds were interspersed with lush red roses, causing the sleek black hair to resemble the night sky against a blood red moon.  
  
A gentle knock at the door startled the four young women, heads turned to see the Rosmerta peep around the edge of the doorframe. Smiling at the older women a hand waved her into the room. A watchful eye in turn surveyed each girl that was damp with unshed tears by the time it reached the bride.  
  
Smiling Rosmerta said, "As it is almost Samhain I wanted to give you this." To Annie's surprise Rosmerta handed her a hairpin of a small black cat that had been carved from a smooth jet stone.  
  
To Rosmerta's surprise Annie handed it her back and then bowed her head and waited for the hairpin to be placed with in the garland of flowers.  
  
The small jet pin brought home the symbolism that Annie had encompassed with the designs, colours and accessories.  
  
Smiling at them all Rosmerta voiced what each was thinking. "Red for love, courage and passion, while silver is for inspiration and protection and gold for unity and prosperity. Roses and vanilla for love, health and success."  
  
Lily was the first to move and she raised the folded veil so that it now rested upon the muslin that would protect it as they walked over to the chapel. It was time to leave, Rosmerta gently hugged each of the young women she had watched blossom from eleven year old babes to beautiful women. Long black cloaks were settled into place and swept to a close and so hiding the treasures beneath. Hoods carefully raised, the small precession moved along the street of Hogsmeade and made its way towards the awaiting chapel.  
  
Rounding the corner, Annie cast a quick glance at her friends knowing that two of them had taken first sight of their own partners in the full splendour of the outfits she had prepared for the groomsmen.  
  
James Potter and Remus Lupin had been assigned door duty and as the witches advanced upon them with an elegant bow they swiftly opened the large ornate oak doors. Once inside the anti chamber the doors were closed and with yet another bow the two young men took their leave and rejoined the rest of the grooms party. Inside the body of the chapel each male attendant had taken up position so that each of the four directions were warded and waited for their respective partners to join them in providing a protective circle for the ceremony. James stood to the north and was balanced by Remus to the south. His back to the east stood Sirius Black and facing him was Patrick Boot with his partner already by his side. Whose appearance had caused a few raised eyebrows but polite smiles caressed the handsome faces as the young woman was introduced. James smirked at Patrick who shrugged and then smiled at the face of the ex-head boy, who had unwittingly set the pair up. All five boys wore sly smiles as they thought of the looks on the faces of the four ex-Gryffindors who were about to come face to face with Scarlet Zabini.  
  
Together the four men made an impressive sight, again Annie's symbolism had not gone a miss and the midnight blue robes that had been edged in the same silver and gold brocade radiated strength. In the centre of the diamond stood Danny in robes of jet black.  
  
In a flurry of robes the anti chamber came top life, at the last moment before joining the neatly formed triangle, Lily fastened the soft gold veil to the ring of flowers and gasped in awe as it cascaded down Annie's back. As the tower clock chimed one the doors before them glided open and the ceremony of the marriage of Annie Ryan to Danny Brocklehurst was underway.  
~~*~~~*~~  
  
A/N: Thanks for reading, please do leave a review but note that any flames will simply be removed. Constructive criticism or a suggestion for future chapters is always welcome but out right meanness is not welcome or wanted.  
  
Thanks again  
  
Madame Padfoot 


	4. Muggle World

Hi, sorry for the wait! I honestly hadn't realised that it had been so long. This chapter has been sent to my beta but I decided that I would post it now and then replace it with the beta'd version later. Also the next chapter is half written, so it shouldn't take as long to post. I've just got a new laptop and it seems to have inspired me to write.  
  
Again, sorry it took so long.  
  
Chapter 4

**MUGGLE WORLD**  
  
As the hardship caused by war magnified so did the lives of those living it. The British magical community had been plunged into the depths of despair, death floated in the air and a new story swamped the front page of the Daily Prophet every morning with out fail. Nothing else appeared to be news worthy except the death and destruction that followed the sighting of the dark mark that floated in the night sky above the devastated earth bellow. With war raging all around life was being lived to the full, every opportunity snatched with both hands with a ferocity that is rarely seen outside times of immense stress and deprivation. This was as true for the dark as it was for the light.  
  
Life flew by at an alarming rate; it was being attacked head on with courage in abundance and pulsing with an intensity that would consume the human psyche at any other time. Yet, for the small band of Hogwarts graduates friendships that had been forged as children were solidifying as adulthood blossomed around them eternally entwining their lives in a bond that would join their souls for generations to come.  
  
Winter was racing to meet the wizarding world, Christmas just around the corner and with it the second wedding. Four young women returned to their duties as organisers supreme with an abundance of energy and enthusiasm. Their male counterparts accepting defeat with grace and lots of head nodding as the each part of the plan was presented before them.  
  
Lily Evans smiled as she read the letter in her hands once more, the feelings of relief at the undying love and support she had gotten from her brother was more than she had dared to hope for. After having witnessed Annie's trauma after she had presented her family with the fate accompli of the secret wedding, Lily was grateful that her pending nuptials to James had been so readily accepted by Rowan and the boys. Letter still in hand Lily shook her head at the memory of what had been a serious lapse in common sense. Her underlying belief in family values had compelled her to make a stupid error in judgement and go and visit her sister. Eyes closed Lily replayed the memory.  
  
Only a small pop of apparition announced the arrival of James and Lily in the small alley way off Magnolia Crescent. Casting a quick glance at James, Lily couldn't help but smile to her self at the sight of him once again in muggle clothing. Taking his hand she was grateful for the reassuring smile be gave her as they started the slow walk through the rabbit warren of roads that made up the housing estate on which her sister Petunia Dursley lives. It had taken a quick trip to a phone box to locate her sister in the battered old phone book that hung from the small black shelf. James' face had been a picture as they approached the tall red box which she had insisted that they enter. Gryffindor curiosity had over whelmed James at the sight of the metal and glass structure that Lily had pushed him into. It wasn't unit Lily had noticed the queue forming that she cut the muggle studies lesson concerning the use of a public pay phone short.  
  
With every venture in the muggle world Lily became more concerned about the wizarding worlds lack of knowledge. Yes, it was possible to avoid muggles but not totally impossible. A shiver ran through her at the thought of James and Sirius alone and lost in muggle London. It was almost beyond comprehension the amount of damage they would cause to the unsuspecting city.  
  
The sharp tug on her sleeve brought Lily back to the real world and a moments confusion at her surroundings showed on her beautiful face causing her to glance at her companion with a questioning look.  
  
"Isn't this the road we are looking for?" James asked.  
  
Looking down at the black and white sign he was pointing at Lily nodded her head and felt her stomach tighten at the solid letters spelling out Privet Road. A slow spread of cold reality of the fact that this was probably a mistake filled her with dread at the reception she was most likely going to get. Unfortunately it took no time at all to locate number four, looking up at the house her sister lived in Lily couldn't help but smirk at the house that screamed ordinary, nothing special, which as far as Lily was concerned summed up her sister perfectly.  
  
Holding onto James' hand Lily took a deep breath there was no point putting it off any longer and started the short walk down the paved driveway that led to the solid brown wooden front door. It was with a slight hesitation that the raised hand hovered over the small white door bell. The tight feeling in her stomach from earlier now felt more like somersaults. The shrill whisper of her sister's voice floated down the hallway announcing her approach to the boringly ordinary front door that hid the extra ordinary surprise that awaited her arrival.  
  
The look of horror was instantaneous on Petunia's horse featured face at the sight of her freakish younger sister. Before James and Lily had time to even say hello a hand had reached out to grab Lily and haul her into the house leaving James no option but to follow. With her guests safely ensconced in the hallway Petunia darted her head out of the doorway to check the neighbours weren't looking and then door was shut with a resounding click. Eyes narrowed even further the elder of the two Evens girls rounded on her sister.  
  
"What the bloody hell are you freaks ding coming here and contaminating us decent people?"  
  
The feeling that this was a mistake returned to Lily ten fold.  
  
"Petunia, this is James. I just wanted to let you know that we are getting married at Christmas." Lily paused to try and gauge her sisters reaction, ignoring the so what expression on she had received in answer, Lily continued, "There have been a lot of problems in the magical world. The people who killed Mum and Dad are getting worse. I just wanted to let you know what was happening with me and that I was ok."  
  
Still getting no answer, Lily looked at James and then back to her sister.  
  
"Listen Petunia, no matter what has happened in the past you are still my sister. You may not like it but we are family, this could be the last time I ever see you. Doesn't that bother you in the slightest?"  
  
After what has seemed an age Petunia said, "Just leave before Vernon comes home."  
  
Observing the interaction between the two sisters he was amazed that Petunia Dursley had spent the whole conversation with a look that something rather smelly was in her presence. Sensing the danger signals coming from Lily James decided that it was time to intervene.  
  
"Come on Lily, let's just go."  
  
"No. Petunia please!"  
  
The only response the plea gained was for Petunia Dursley to fold her arms in front of her primly covered chest and glare icily at the young witch.  
  
Slowly loosing his cool James sneered nastily at the muggle, "I think the dementers have already sucked the soul out of her. Come on Lily leave it, she is not worth the trouble."  
  
What he didn't see as he guided her back towards the door was the tear that rolled down Lily's face. As they dissolved from view the sight was not missed by Petunia.  
  
As November ebbed away, the preparations for Lily and James' wedding went into overdrive. Ronan was unable to make it to England until three days before the wedding and so his measurements for wedding robes were sent by owl post. To the horror of both Philip Tring and Robert Malkin they had to get in line with the rest of the grooms party and be subjected to the organisational skills of Aggy Court. On a cold winters morning the small collection of ex-Hogwarts students presented themselves for inspection at the home of Sirius Black. Diligently they stood in place while two strictly business minded witches pulled, pushed and stuck pins into half finished robes as they were moulded into the shape of would be perfect gentlemen. While Aggy and Annie disappeared back to the flat in DIagon Alley the males heaved a sigh of relief and squirreled away to the Leaky Cauldron to enjoy the first free day they had had together in ages. By mid afternoon Tom the bar Keep had corralled the boys into one of the back rooms and they were collected at closing time by seven rather disgusted witches.  
  
For Ministry Aurors time off was a rare luxury that was to be cherished. Unbeknown to the merry little band of friends their notions of invincibility and morality would be questioned in a way that each would be affected for the rest of their lives. Soon drunken and disorderly behaviour would be the least of their worries.  
  
Sat in the Ministry of Magic's Magical law enforcement squad room Aggy Court cast her mind back to the summer she and Lily had spent living in the guest quarters, it seemed like a life time ago rather than the mere eighteen months it had been. This was the worst part of the job, being assigned emergency standby duty, which meant a lot of waiting around. Casting her eye around the room it fell onto the rest of her team. She couldn't help but smile at the boys, even now as fully qualified Ministry Aurors they sat playing exploding snap seeming to have not cared in the world. As the night wore on it did nothing for Aggy's nerves except make her more edgy, the waiting was always the worst, never knowing if an assignment would come in or not.  
  
Heading into the squad room the Duty Commander winced at the sight of tonight's team. A groups of rookies, a good team with an outstanding track record but green sticks none the less. Weaving his way through the maze of higgledy piggledy desks he made his way towards what was undoubtedly the brain of the operation. For a brief moment he simply stood and eyed the female Auror before him before motioning for the others to gather round.  
  
"An emergency call has just come through. Court, I need your team to check it out. It may be nothing but you never know."  
  
Suddenly all thoughts of playing cards was forgotten and each member of the team listened intently to the instructions being relayed to them by the aged Commanding officer. An anonymous tip off about Death Eater Activity had been called in and needed checking out. Within twenty minutes the four man team found them tucked away behind foliage and partial disillusionment charms. If waiting in the squad room was hard then out in the field intensified the anxiety ten fold.  
  
Aggy held onto her wand as usual in this type of situation she drew comfort from the smooth warm feel of the worn wand she had been bought by her parents before entering Hogwarts as a small first year. Just as she was about to raise her wand to signal to the others that this stake out was a dead duck when the sound of apparition told her she had been a little hasty and the tip had been right on the money. Aggy caught sight of the black robed figures as they edged into the clearing that the party of four had well covered. Less than four hundred yards away lay the homes of two prominent muggle born families. Watching the progress of the enemy Aggy's breath caught frozen in her chest as she realised they were not taking a direct path but where heading straight for her current position. Even without being able to see him, Aggy knew that Sirius would be twitching by know and she prayed to every deity going that he held fast.  
  
As with most things in life it is the smallest event that triggers the explosion. All hell broke loose as a rat scurried right into Aggy's left knee that was touching the ground. With a squeal that would wake the dead she just caught sight of it disappearing through the fast advancing black clad legs. The mutter of the lumos spell and the dull glow of wand light was all that was need to light Aggy up like a beacon. Her cover was well and truly broken but still she hoped that the boys would hold strong and not give them selves away.  
  
Maintaining her position Aggy slowly raised her eyes to take in the tall figure before her; it wasn't until she reached the hood and noted the glacial eyes sparkling with malevolence that all hope of escape seemed to float away with the fading light of the extinguished lumos spell. In that one moment she knew it was very unlikely she would come out of this situation unscathed, Luscious Malfoy had never been known for his compassion and there was no doubt that the Death Eater before her was her old Hogwarts rival. At the feel of the wand tip under her chin Aggy let her eyes slide shut for a second to help reign in her agitation at having been caught. A slight upward movement was all the encouragement she needed to gracefully move into a standing position. Reaching her full height the wand now at her throat, Aggy locked eyes with her captor.  
  
"Well it does seem that Christmas has come early. I do so love to get presents handed to me on a plate!"  
  
A small tremor ran through Aggy at the feel of the finger tip that was running down her cheek. This move drew Aggy's full attention to the possible outcome of this evening and a sickening feeling began to tumble around her insides but it was also the move that shredded Sirius Black's nerve. Within seconds the quiet clearing on the edge of the small rural village was shattered with the piercing war cry of a true Gryffindor looking before they leap and going for broke no matter the overall cost. Predictable as ever Sirius flung out the first hex and the battle commenced but unknown to him this was just the opportunity the silver eyed Death Eater was looking for. In the heat of the battle that was being duelled all around them Aggy felt a chill run through her that would have frozen hell, while her would be saviours were other wise engaged her captor took the chance presented to him to take flight with his bounty. In the blink of an eye Aggy found her self being hauled against the chest of Malfoy and experiencing the disorientating feeling of tandem apparition.  
  
As quickly as it had begun it was over, the departure of Malfoy had signalled for the remaining Death Eaters to retreat leaving behind three Aurors drunk on adrenaline in their wake. As the rush of the skirmish subsided Patrick Boot finally took note of his surroundings and the fact that his partner was missing. Whirling around to face the others is was now blatantly obvious that there were only three where four should have stood. Each unbeknown to the other silently prayed that their missing leader had been hit by a stray curse and was lay immobilised in the shrubbery waiting for them to find her. Following the text book requirements, they fanned out and searched the area but to no avail. With heavy hearts the three young rookie's disapparated and soon found them in the commander's office. Standing in front of the large oak desk facing the auspicious old Auror caused shivers to run through the two ex Ravenclaws but for Sirius Black this was nothing compared to the thought that had been crashing through his mind since they had realised that Aggy was missing. How was he going to tell Remus Lupin that his girlfriend was missing and it was his entire fault?  
  
Over the next few hours actions would be put into place that would be crucial in the flow of this war of dark verses light. The ball started to roll with the disappearance of Aggy Court but was given a very swift kick by Alastor Moody to get it moving faster. As the door to his office swung shut behind the leaderless team of green sticks, Moody reached for parchment and quill. A flicker of fury at the reckless stupidity that had cost the Ministry an outstanding young Auror caused his magical eye to revolve in a sinister manner. Taking a calming breath to get his temper under control, Moody penned a note to Dumbledore. It was time to reel in the young ones especially Sirius Black in Moody's opinion the boy was a loose cannon and need watching before he did something totally irredeemable.  
  
Stepping out of the floo network into the small flat in Diagon Alley, Sirius was surprised to be faced with Lily so quickly. It was as if she knew he was coming and this only seemd, to add to the weight of the news he was carrying but if Sirius had looked carefully he would have noted the same look of surprise reflected back in the red heads face. Deciding now was not the time to ask what he was doing at the flat, Lily about turned him back into the fire place.  
  
"I've been summoned up to Hogwarts, I'd assume you have as well. Just head up to The Three Broomsticks. Don't ask because I don't now why"  
  
It wasn't long before they both came whirling out of the fireplace in the pub they had spent many Saturday afternoons. Lily knew that something was wrong with her long time friend as the sight of her sprawled over the floor of the pub did nothing but raise a mechanical action of helping her up off the floor. Events of the evening played heavily on his mind and the spectacle of the normally graceful chaser did not even register, except that the girl needed a helping hand. A shiver of worry tingled along Lily's spine at the gentlemanly behaviour being exhibited by the normally mischievous male who would have relished the opportunity to make fun of her lest than artistic entrance.  
  
Lily let the feeling fester until they were half way to the castle when normally analytical brain had put two and two together and come up with ten that it suddenly dawned on her that Aggy had been working today.  
  
"Where is Aggy?"  
  
Sirius turned over in his mind a whole range of possible answers to the simple question but found he was unable to voice any of them. At best he managed to give her a sad puppy dog smile that he hope said don't ask. But this did nothing to alleviate Lily's worry.  
  
"Sirius, where is Aggy?"  
  
As far as Lily was concerned Sirius's behaviour only seemed to be getting worse, the only time he ever bit his bottom lip was when he was under pressure to own up to a prank he had pulled.  
  
Finally he said, "I don't know, it's the truth. I really don't know." Not letting her say anything else, Sirius grabbed Lily's hand and said, "Lets just get up to the castle. Please Lily?"  
  
A deep sense of foreboding filled Lily with the delivery of each stilled answer. A stream of possible scenarios playing over and over in her mind as the pair of old friends made the trek up to Hogwarts. Lily steeled another look at Sirius as they waited for the gargoyle to move and grant them access to the moving staircase that would carry them to the headmaster's office. The look of desolation on his normally jovially handsome face did nothing but to plunge her anxiety even further. Reaching the top of the stair case, Lily's senses overloaded, as the door swung open and revealed a room full of people but no Aggy Court. The audible click of the door shutting behind her brought Lily back to the present but before she could ask any questions the Headmaster has rose from his seat and was motioning for the assembled group to follow him. The short journey down the dimly lit passage way did not take long, for James and Remus this was a well travelled route and it wasn't long before they were all seated around a long table in the oval room; the only person still on their feet was the old Headmaster who silently surveyed the occupants of the room. It was a small group of some of the finest witched and wizards Hogwarts had ever produced, yet his infamous intuition told him that some of the major players in this war had yet to make an appearance.  
  
"Welcome, in times of great stress and adversity the only way to survive is to bind together. Unity between the old and the new is the only way forward against an enemy that seeks to destroy all that we hold dear."  
  
The seating arrangement was clear as to who fit which description. The young Gryffindor's sat immobilised as they waited to see what fate Albus Dumbledore had in store for them. Scanning the faces of the young lions Albus knew that they would pose many questions, especially about the missing members of the tight knit group. Three would be easy to explain but the fourth was a cause of great concern.  
  
"We would like to offer you a place in a select group that has dedicated itself to the control and eradication of the practice of the dark arts. If you choose not to join then you will be free to leave but the events of this evening will be obliverated. The activities you will undertake as part of The Order of the Phoenix will be perilous and the level of magical ability required to survive is beyond most individuals. If you agree to swear an oath to this group then I can promise you no guarantees except that the fight of the light must prevail over all others."  
  
Again Albus paused and looked in turn at the newly graduated Gryffindor's. It pleased him no end that each looked him directly in the eye, conviction written all over their faces. This needed to be played carefully, he assumed that Miss Evens would have some idea about the activities of her soon to be husband but he trusted the two young men to have not informed Mr Black of the earlier initiation into this illustrious old order.  
  
"Now is the time to make your decisions to stay and face many arduous challenges or to leave and to carry on with the path you have already chosen."  
  
Two heads bowed to the figure before them that they recognised, as the person who stood for all that is good in this world. Acknowledging their acceptance it didn't take long for the meeting to get under way. Reports were filed by the already active members in a flurry of anxious voices as the number of the losses was tallied. Dumbledore purposely left Alastor Moody until last, knowing his report would be the hardest to listen to for some of the newer members of the group. Sirius Black's nervousness did also not go a miss by the aging wizard. The only reactions were sharp intakes of breath from the three youngsters as they learned the fate of their friend that evening during a botch Auror mission. All through the retelling of the information he had reported to his squad commander early that evening found Sirius studying the intricate wood grain of the ancient table.  
  
Taking in the reaction of those around the table Albus cleared his throat before saying, "I know this affects some of us more personally that others but let me assure you that the safe return of Miss Court is one of our prime concerns."  
  
AN: Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think. Constructive criticism and suggestions always welcome but flames will simply be extinguished.  
  
TBC – Madame Padfoot


	5. A heavy conscience

Hi, thanks to those who reviewed last time. As you can see I'm trying to load chapters quicker. The next chapter is half way and at worst will be uploaded by Christmas but hopefully before then. Chapter has been sent to my beta and will be replaced as soon as possible with a sparkly edited version.

**A HEAVY CONSCIENCE**

It had been forty eight hours and still no word on the whereabouts of Aggy Court. Lily had wanted to put the remainder of the wedding plans on hold saying it just wouldn't be the same without the presence of her first and best friend since she had been eleven years old. It was only at the instance of Remus that Lily finally gave way and the preparations for her wedding to James in three weeks time got under way once more. Annie was hard at work on the robes but arguments arose as Lily noted that Annie had put Aggy's robes to the back of the pile. Voices raised and tears shed, saw the elegant robes of Agather Court taking priority. Everything was coming together; all that was now missing was the tall dark curly haired figure of the absent Gryffindor.

Alastor Moody had managed to convince the Ministry that it was definitely in their favour to put some resources into the rescue of his girlie green stick. It had taken him a great deal of shouting and in the end he had had to call in of some tabs but two teams had been assigned to the search and recover of the young women. From within the Order of the Phoenix every spare moment was dedicated to the search for Aggy, but with each passing hour hope seemed to ebb at retrieving the missing girl alive and unharmed. Dedication drove on the friends in their hunt for their missing comrade but so far to no avail. Watching Sirius Black was as if time had been turned back as the melancholy that over took him at the death of Tara during the Christmas of seventh year returned. The only thing that seemed to be driving him forward each day was his unrelenting dedication to finding what he felt was yet another victim of his over zealous ego. This hadn't been helped by the significant absence of Remus Lupin who upon hearing the report of how Aggy had gone missing found the only way to deal with it was to avoid his childhood friend.

For once it was decided among the small group to leave well alone, Remus needed to work through this in his own time and that Sirius could not be saved the heart ache his actions had caused him. He needed to learn to think before he acted, considering the consequences of his behaviour had never been one of Sirius's strong points and this was just another example of what his recklessness cost his friends.

Hidden away from the public eye, time moved at a different rate for Aggy Court and she was for once grateful for the narcissistic nature of Lucius Malfoy. He had been more concerned with showing off his prize to his fellow Death Eaters and so far all she had received were a few slaps or the odd curse. Apart from being hit with the crucio curse once, she was in fairly good shape. Most of the time she had been kept blindfolded which made it difficult to for her to judge how long she had been held captive. But what she did know was that from the murmurings the good times were about to end. If what she had heard was correct then she was going to be presented to Voldermort himself in a few days and used as the prize for some kind of show down. Listening to what some of the masked thugs had bragged about doing, Aggy didn't hold out much hope for survival, if she wasn't rescued before the duelling competition took place.

Trying to maintain a positive outlook although some what hard, especially when the first sign of human contact was a hand tangling in your hair to drag you into a standing position and then used as method to direct you to where you where going. Aggy decided that regardless of what she looked like, if she escaped this little shindig then the long curly locks were going, never again would they be used against her as an instrument of torture. What had shocked her most was that one of the most vicious and ruthless of the voices that floated around her belonged to a woman. Aggy knew that she didn't recognise the voice but it had qualities to it that were almost familiar as if she had heard something similar but not quite the same. If the stories the women told were true, then the only thing she could hope was that she was not one of the people taking part in the duel. Hospitality so far had been thin on the ground and the most she had managed to gain was a couple of sips of water.

At some point sleep had taken hold and it wasn't until a familiar cacophonous hiss pulled her from the shallow depths of morpheous she had been floating in, did she get a small glimmer of hope. She recognised the voice of a seriously pissed off Severus Snape, it held the same tone he had used during their potions classes when paired with a less able student. Words were delivered in a way that clear informed the recipient that they were a fool and not worthy to be in his presence. Aggy knew that more then once in their last two years at Hogwarts this strange Slytherin had come to the rescue of the small group of Gryffindor girls, Aggy Courts only problem was whether he would help her without the presence of Lily Evans. Trying to remain focused on the words being banded around her was a struggle, Aggy knew that she was on the edge of delirium caused by being dehydrated and she found that more than once she lost the flow of the conversation. At the sound of the retreating footsteps and the groans of the guard Aggy Court decided that all was not lost and once again sleep claimed her.

For Severus Snape the sight of the dark haired girlfriend of the werewolf set his mind running and his conscience prickling. Even now he couldn't understand why this particular bunch of females caused his protection instincts to go into overdrive. For one, the girls were all Gryffindor's and for another most of them belong to males he rank high in his most hated list. Yet on more than one occasion he had come to their rescue and now another sat by the looks of her on the verge of total shutdown awaiting the sadistic torture that was undoubtedly around the corner. Although he was a fellow Slytherin Lucius bloody Malfoy was once more at the root of all his problems, the man was a royal pain in the neck. Striding from the safe house Snape disappeared from view the moment he reached the apparition border and for the next couple of hours he paced his section of his family's dungeons. The only thing his mother had ever done right was persuading his father he needed the space to do potions experiments that wouldn't affect the rest of the household.

Knowing that time was running out, his conscience once more won out over his Slytherin nature that told him that people deserved what they got and got what they deserved. Selecting a piece of parchment he raised the creamy coloured sheet to his nose and checked the smell, the potion it had been soaked in was active. If he was going to give the Gryffindors the information they needed then it wouldn't be tracked back to him. Anyone reading the note would become befuddled causing them to dismiss the owl and so render any tracing spells useless. Having made his decision Snape jotted the necessary details for the rescue of Aggy Court onto the parchment and then sent it to the one person he still maintained a modicum of respect for from his class mates, Lily Evans.

Lily threw her self head long into her work, between experimental charms, Quidditch training and searching for any information that would lead her closer to finding her best friend Lily had little time for anything else. Arriving at the small flat at the end of the third day James Potter was not surprised when he found it empty; the absence of Aggy had already cast a strange eeriness about the place. Reaching into his robes James removed the latest information he had received deciding that he may as well analyse it while waiting for his future wife to return home. Settling into the comfortable sofa it wasn't long before his eyes began to close; this was the scene that greeted Lily as she made her way into the sitting room. The sight of her handsome boyfriend brought a small smile to the sorrow etched face. Shrugging out of her work robes Lily quickly joined James on the sofa snuggling up next to him and relaxed for a moment, savouring the feeling of those strong arms slipping around her. Even in sleep James seemed to know just what she needed and right at his moment she just needed to be held. Nestling further into the warm side of the peacefully slumbering body, Lily was soon drifting off into a much needed deep sleep.

The distinct tapping of an owl trying to get into the room woke James, before the noise had fully registered in his sleep jumbled brain. James basked in the glorious warmth his beautiful girlfriend who was now lying partly across his chest was radiating. Again the insistent tapping broke the moment and James carefully slid from his comfortable position to open the window. A large black owl hopped onto the window ledge and looked at him with great distain at having been kept waiting. James reached for the note tided to its leg but his progress was halted as the bird made a swooping attack with its sharp beak for his hand. Pulling back quickly James eyed the bird once more before trying again to retrieve the letter but again it bobbed its head and doing a better job of its attack this time it managed to draw blood.

Glaring at the animal James swore under his breath before turning to glance at the sleeping girl. James hated the thought of waking her when she so desperately needed sleep but there was nothing left for it and he tried shouting at the bird to give him the bloody letter but the owl just squawked loudly at him.

"James, what are you doing? Just take the letter off its leg."

Frustrated, James cast a glare at the girl saying, "What do you think I've been trying to do? The bloody thing just keeps attacking me. You come and try, the letter must be for you anyway?"

Slowly rolling her self from the sofa, Lily managed to get to her feet and made her way to the window.

"Hello beautiful. Are you going to let me have the letter?" Lily asked while watching the bird and at the same time moving her hand gently towards it. Its dark brown eyes blinked at her and she received a soft hoot in response to her request. Deciding this was good sign Lily reached for the parchment and quickly released it from its leather binding.

Smiling at the bird Lily offered it her thanks and an owl treat, which it accepted from her. Without thinking Lily opened the window a little further and instructed the owl to leave. James watched her curiously and wondered why she had dismissed the owl so quickly but became distracted by the scratch on the back of his hand. As they made their way back to the sofa Lily noticed James rubbing at the scratch on his hand.

"Ah, poor baby did the nasty birdie scratch you!"

Lily couldn't help but smirk at the look of horror on James' face and then laughed as he turned on the little boy face, batting his eyelashes at her and holding his hand out for her to kiss it better. It wasn't long before what had started as an innocent kissing of a booboo better that they found themselves wrapped in each others arms kissing as if their life depended on it. A crinkling sound broke Lily's concentration as she remembered the letter. Pulling away from James, Lily reached for the discarded parchment that had fluttered to the floor. Popping the seal Lily scanned the letter and then dropped her eyes to the signature but unsurprisingly considering the content of the note found it missing. Leaning over her shoulder to read along with her, James caught the letter as it dropped from her grip as if it had burnt her fingers. Raising it once more James focused on the neat script that flowed over the page and felt his breath catch in his chest.

It was information on the whereabouts of Aggy Court.

Noticing that Lily seemed to be immobilised by what she had read, James leaped into action and within seconds he had thrown floo powder into the fire. Head thrust into the green flames James barked instructions into the fire before moving back out and turning into the room. Walking back over to Lily James took her by the shoulders and shook her lightly; getting no response he shook her a little bit harder.

"Come on Lily, snap out of it. We need to get up to the castle. Lily move now."

Finally, Lily raised her head and said, "Oh god James, what if we don't get to her in time?"

"Well if we sit here much longer we never will. Come on lets get over to The Three Broomsticks."

Finally Lily nodded at him and rose from her seat and within seconds they found themselves whirling through the floo system on their way to the old pub in the heart of Hogsmeade village. James arrived first and turned just in time to catch Lily as she was flung from the flames. The walk up to the castle seemed to take longer than ever, the knowledge that what ever happened in the next couple of hours would seal the fate of Aggy weighed heavily on the pair.

Nervous faces waited in the oval room that was located somewhere near the Headmaster's office, one by one the select group of witches and wizards assembled. The anonymous tip off was deliberated and finally a plan was put in place. It was decided that the Ministry of Magic would be not be informed and that any measure necessary would be taken to retrieve Aggy. The final decision made by Albus Dumbledore was to hex first and ask questions later.

Stealth was the name of the game as small groups of four entered the old abandoned Manor house in silence. Spreading out, the building was checked floor by floor, the necessity for speed became a must with the first skirmish because they knew that it wouldn't take long for the death eaters to get reinforcements into the building and out number them. Initially it looked hopeless as the assigned rescue party made a move to head up towards the top floor. Just as they had made it onto the first floor landing, a hand had reached out and grasped the robe of the anchor man pulling them behind a tapestry and into a hidden room. Heart racing Lily Evans turned to face her attacker and was shocked to see the hood of the cloak being swiftly removed. Bracing herself for the worst Lily felt her heart settle as she recognised the dark lank locks of Severus Snape.

"Listen, she is in a room at the far end of the corridor behind the portrait of the mantecore."

Before Lily could say anything, he had already raised his hood and was moving towards the entrance. Lily quickly reached out and grasped the sleeve of his cloak. Halting his progress, Severus Snape turned to face her for a brief moment.

"Thank you Severus."

But all she received was a nod and he was gone. Waiting a second Lily followed the same way and quickly found the rest of the rescue party. Locating the required portrait was not a problem but the disarming of the wards took a little time and was not helped by the sound of the battles that were fast approaching their position. Finally the portrait swung open and Remus burst through the portal, wand firmly held before him but the sight of his girlfriend slumped against the far wall broke his control. Wand slipped from his fingers as he dashed towards her, the others were close but not quick enough to stop the crouched figure holding Aggy from firing a slicing hex in his direction. The black cloaked wizard got no further as three stunning curses hit him in the chest. Gasping for breath Remus clutched at the wound in his left shoulder blood already seeping through his worn robes. It hindered him but did not stop him from reaching Aggy or from taking her into his arms and holding her tight.

Reaching his side Lily was grateful for the hefty foot that kicked the stunned death eater out of the way. Thankful of the healing charms she had learned, Lily cast a diagnostic spell at Aggy and while it was working she worked on moving Remus's cloak far enough so that she could reach the wound and cast a simple close and heal charm. It would scare but she didn't have time for anything else. Glancing at the end result of Aggy's diagnosis, Lily sighed in relief most of her injuries were superficial but she needed to get some fluid into her fast.

Lily turned to the concerned faces behind her and giving the briefest of nods she said, "We need to move. Aggy needs fluids and I can't do that here."

Actually getting Remus to release his hold of Aggy long enough for him to stand was a job in itself and it took the threat of being hexed to get him moving. Within moments Aggy was back in Remus's arms, a feather light charm placed upon her and they were finally moving back down the corridor. Each knew they were not out of the woods yet and if getting in had been hard getting out was going to be a nightmare. As they descended each floor a signal was sent out to inform any order members that the mission had been accomplished and to pull out. It was a laborious task but the wards around the old Manor house had proved to be a problem and communication methods were limited but the Order had made it clear in the very beginning that no one was ever left behind. Reaching the ground floor felt like a major achievement, especially with the few casualties they had collected along the way but two hours after the assault had started they were heading back out into the open court yard and moving towards an apparition point.

Ensuring that everyone left safely was organised by James Potter, he quickly assessed those that would need to travel by portkey and those capable of apparating. Distinct popping sounds could be heard as the sign for departure was given. That left two groups of three James quickly brandished a tea spoon and a crumpled paper cup from one of the pockets of his robes and they too soon found themselves being whisked away from the dreary old building. To Lily's relief the portkey deposited them safely in the cosy sitting room of James and Remus's quarters in the bowels of the old castle. With slightly unsteady legs, Lily guided Remus through a door and managed to get him to softly lower Aggy onto the four poster bed. Glancing around Lily noted James was stood in the open door way and gestured for him to go out. Unable to do more without the help of some potions Lily followed James into the sitting room.

"James, we need Madame Pomfrey. I just don't have the experience to deal with this or access to the right potions."

Not bothering to reply with more than a nod James headed to the fireplace and a floo call later found both Albus Dumbledore and Poppy Pomfrey striding from the flames. Albus remained with James as Lily guided to school's Medi-witch into the bedroom.

A/N: Thanks for reading, please leave a review and let me know what you think.

Madame Padfoot


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